The Pulse: July 9, 2021

A Montreal-based manufacturer of plastic packaging products officially began construction on a $40-million expansion in south Edmonton on July 8.

Polykar's new manufacturing facility will use polyethylene pellets to produce consumer and commercial goods like plastic film, garbage bags, and food packaging. All of the facility's products will either be recyclable or compostable, said president Amir Karim.

"We are not your traditional plastics processor. We have been at the leading edge of using recycled materials, and finding innovative, sustainable solutions in packaging," Karim told Taproot.

Mayor Don Iveson said he welcomed the expansion, explaining that investments into advanced manufacturing are critical to Edmonton's economic recovery, and will encourage more investments in the future.

"This, along with another significant advanced manufacturing investment in the Aurum Energy Park last month represent what you're going to see more of," he said, referring to the announcement of a $1.3 billion hydrogen production facility.

Karim said once Polykar's facility is fully operational in 2024, it will permanently employ 70 people, and produce around 13.6 million kilograms of plastic products annually.

Recyclable plastic products help reduce the overall greenhouse gas emissions of the industry by limiting the amount that needs to be produced to meet consumer demand, since the used plastic can be reformed into new products. It also helps reduce plastic waste, which presents a number of other serious environmental harms.

However, producing the polyethene itself can be quite carbon-intensive. The plastic is made from ethylene gas, which comes from ethane — a derivative of both natural gas and petroleum. Each stage of turning the fossil fuels into plastic emits carbon dioxide, methane, or other greenhouse gases.

• Edmonton Fire Rescue Services (EFRS) were called to several grass fires along Jasper Avenue on Thursday. Though Edmonton is not currently under a fire ban, EFRS is asking Edmontonians to be cautious as temperatures continue to soar this week.
• A high speed rail proposal that would connect Calgary, Edmonton and Red Deer has received a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Alberta government. The Prairie Link is estimated to cost about $9 billion, according to a news release by EllisDon, which is spearheading the project.
• Council unanimously voted on Monday to stop handing out loitering tickets at transit stations. Instead of a fine, vulnerable people at ETS facilities will be offered support.
• Alberta Health Services plans to temporarily relocate its Addiction Recovery Centre to the Alberta Hospital this fall, due to disruptions from nearby LRT construction.
• More than 100 City of Edmonton employees could lose their jobs, as the city considers outsourcing its bus cleaning contract. The city posted request for proposals for cleaning and refueling services on Thursday.
• The Edmonton International Fringe Festival announced its plans for a hyper-local, hybrid event, which will take place both in-person and online from Aug. 12-22.
• Work has started on the much-anticipated South Edmonton Hospital, which is set to open in 2030. On Thursday, crews started clearing trees and removing soil from the construction site.
• Premier Jason Kenney announced a cabinet shuffle on Thursday, creating three new junior positions and ousting long-time minister Leela Aheer. Formerly in charge of culture, multiculturalism and status of women, Aheer was openly critical of Kenney on several occasions.

Investors in Edmonton's biggest stock market players made gains in the first half of the year, led by Stantec with a 36% rise in share prices that boosted the company's market value by $1.65 billion to $6.25 billion.

The global engineering giant, which was just named by Corporate Knights as the top firm among industry peers within its ranking of Canada's Best 50 Corporate Citizens, retained its title as Edmonton's most valuable public company with shares closing July 8 at $55.89.

Capital Power rose 18.6% to $41.51, giving it a market capitalization of $4.8 billion. Shares dipped to a low of $33.74 on March 5 before trending up. The Edmonton-based power producer, with operations at 26 sites employing 779 people in Canada and the U.S., has set a goal to be net carbon neutral by 2050.

Canadian Western Bank, worth $2.9 billion, traded at $33.65 a share for an 18% gain over the first half of 2021, but has slipped from its May 27 peak price of $37.19. "Over the last three years, Canadian Western Bank has grown earnings per share by 5.5% per year. While that sort of growth rate isn't amazing, it does show the business is growing," commented Simply Wall St.

Aurora Cannabis is valued at $2 billion after a 16% slide in share price over the first half of the year. The company has posted the largest accumulated net losses among Canadian cannabis producers at $4.1 billion, and trades at $10.17 a share, down from its October 2018 peak of more than $160.

Greg Gazin, Troy Media columnist and tech fanatic, launched Toastcaster in 2006. In his 150th episode, he recalled what he called the hardest speech he will ever have to give — his wife's eulogy. The host shared the process and emotions behind putting words to losing Elaine Baram.

Following a two-month break, the newest episode talks about Gazin's journey to find a "new normal" in the wake of loss. The host's frank conversation about grief, loss, and readjustment is a poignant departure from his traditional format.

For over a decade, Toastcaster guided its listeners to "become better communicators, public speakers and leaders." Former guests taught subscribers about hosting Ted Talks, avoiding digital interview mistakes, and offered tools to navigate isolation, alongside conversations with dozens of industry experts.

Listeners can dive through episodes spanning 15 years on Toastcaster's Podbean page. Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts host the show, as well.

You can listen to podcast picks from Taproot on Listen Notes or Spotify.